BEOWULF!

I have a fondness for CAPS tonight. If I break into them, I apologize.

Leslie and I went to see Beowulf last night. It was a ponderous decision for her (and for me, but I'd resolved late this summer that I could suffer whatever Neil Gaiman and the other writers made the story into), but finally she assented and we went to the movies...

... to discover it was showing in 5 screens. Wow! Four of them, however, were in 3-D. We decided to see it in 2-D. If I end up seeing it a second time, I will opt for the other version, but it was shiny enough without the extra D.

They did some odd digital editing. In large portions of the movie, it looked like it could've been really good CG, rather than digitally-modified actors. I think it worked, but only because Beowulf is a heroic epic, and so it's not so unbelievable to have things looking shinier than life. Many other action movies would've failed with the same look. Romantic comedies would've been too ethereal. It works.

The parts I was suspecting to be contentious... weren't. They did some major story changes to the poem (to have a handy plot summary, go here., though I recommend you read the translated poem at some point if you haven't). I may start spoiling some of the story at this point, though I'll of course leave out the resolution of it. ;)

The major changes basically amount to a greater centrality in the story, something that movies are fond of doing in their adaptions from books that have too broad of a focus. The poem has two localities: Daneland (Denmark) and back with the Geats. The first has Grendel and Grendel's mother. The second has the dragon. The first is when Beowulf is young. The second is when Beowulf is old. Beowulf as unproven warrior. Beowulf as king.

In the movie, they place every encounter in Denmark around the meadhall. Wiglaf is there the whole movie, instead of appearing in the second half of the story when he is integral in fighting the dragon. Grendel's mother is changed substantially, from a monstrous earthen woman-thing to a beautiful and yet fear-inspiring enchantress. Whealtheow, the Danish queen, is changed considerably. So the second half of the story plays out substantially different than before, which is sometime good in comparison with the poem, and sometimes disappointing, in the sense of, "I just wish it'd been this way." The writers did not abuse their creative license here.

Also, they necessarily didn't keep the sidestories in, the ones that described alternate events in other tribes and kingdoms at the time as a parallel of the events there. It wouldn't have worked well in the movie form, I suppose. They were able to convey that storytelling was important though, without saying "Storytelling is important." Thank God.

Oh! One sore point, however, is that there are some other places where they pretty much say that. Distracting are the lines that have to explain the context of encroaching Christianity on formerly pagan people. "Have you heard of Christ Jesus? Maybe he can save us." So on. So on. Brought up just so often that it becomes a tiring little thing. There was very little hint of this in the poem... it was there, yes, but it wasn't nearly so prominent as the movie made it out to be.

Also, there was the tendency to describe progress in anachronistically linear terms, so that when the kingdom improves, suddenly there are stone walls and everything, features not seen in European architecture for hundreds of years afterward. But then I realize that I'm forgetting that this is a heroic epic and so I have to desist. It's allowed that. ^_^;;;

So overall I'd recommend it, provided that you can do as I'm trying... set aside the fact that the movie is based on one of your favorite poems and just watch the movie as one would listen to the story told by another storyteller, allowing for the difference in presentation. It is not as rich for analysis, but I can live with that. And despite all the high-falutin' things I've said, it's got swords! And fighting! And Grendel... why, they got that monster just right.

Oh, and a warning: the first scene moves slowly enough and was horrifying for me, expecting the worst, but it turns out much better than a drunken guy walking around and yelling. Really.

And another warning: the second half of the movie might make you want to see A Lion in Winter.